>> welcome to a "kelly file's special report" a salute to the greatest nation. an event took place on the washington national mall. they barricaded the war memorial in a movie blame on the partial government shutdown. the action was swift and angry. in the time tit took to find bot cutters they found defiant soldiers crossing the barricades with the kind of determination that reminded many in america again of the spirit that once

helped us win a war and preserve our freedom. over the next hour we will revisit the incredible sacrifice these men and women made to defend this country in the bloodiest and most widespread war on history. the average age of a d-day veteran is now 92. now more than ever it is critical to listen to their stories, remember their bravery and share their message with future generations. >> december 22nd, 1941, the military launched a surprise attack on pearl harbor. after 90 minutes of battle nearly 200 aircraft were destroyed 2,402 americans were killed and over 1200 more were wounded. the next day the u.s. officially declared war. >> december 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.

the united states of america was suddenly and deliberately attacked. >> everyday life in america changed dramatically. young boys became men in the blink of an eye and went off to war. communities mobilized and women went to work outside of the home for nearly four years u.s. service members fought some of the bloodiest and infamous battles. the battle of midway was only six months after the attack on pearl harbor. the u.s. navy had a blow against the military and derailed jap japan's forces. the allied forces began their campaign to liberate europe from nazi, germany. >> the planes were in the air keeping the german air force on the ground while the bombers saturated nazi strong holds.

naval forces hit the shore batteries. >> the battle of the bulge where the german army fought to turn the tied of hit letter. the allied forces triumphed. months later hitler committed suicide and germany would surrender. it would take four months for japan to do the same thing and only after the u.s. dropped bombs on hiroshima. >> some 15 million returned home. the department of veteran's

affairs now estimates a little over 1 million world war ii veterans are still alive. this past veteran's day the oldest living member of world war ii was honored at arlington national cemetery. richard overton returned home where he was greeted with cheers and hugs. one of the ways a home townnd a a nation pays respect to those who changed the course of history. >> my next guest is a member of the greatest generation. 17 years old when he joined the u.s. marines and fought in the battle of okinawa. more than a quarter million troops were engaged and they lost 12,000 men in a battle over two months. he went on to become chancellor of the university of richmond and now serves as spokesman for the greatest generation foundation. doctor thank you so much for

your service and thank you so much for being here. what does it mean to you, sir, to see we are at a point where there are only 1 million remaining in the greatest generation in terms of the vets who served? >> it represents to me the world has changed dramatically and as i reflect back to those 15 million you minuted that koim o came out of the military in mass in the late to mid 40's and went off to be educated and came back into the political scene, the business scene, the community activities in force for the next 40 years they ran this country. six of the presidents of the united states had been in this greatest generation. every corporate leader had been in the war. all of the political people in washington in the states, the

governors, almost all of them were of the greatest generation and for 40 years their culture prevailed and they work together irrespective of different political motivations they were able to pull together to make the country a better place. they have fought to preserve predom and believe deeply in it and to me that has moved on so others have taken over the running of the country and we think it is stable but no better than these veterans were able to do it on their own after having brought freedom to the world. >> as someone who put life on the line for our freedom do you feel freedom and liberty is taken for granted by many in today's generation? >> i think the current generation it is taken for

granted. the million who remain from the greatest generation still do not take it for granted. we are deep believers in patriotism as we go back to the places we fought adds young men and this is a part of what the greatest generation foundation does, we reflect and we remember and we give thanks that for 70 years some of us who fought the battles that long ago have been able to come back in this great country raise a family, have grandchildren, great grandchildren, have lived a good life and have had an opportunity many of us on the gi bill to be educated to serve the country. we are proud of our service and proud of the country. we wonder whether the generations that today are as proud as we are who feel as strongly about it and who would defend it as greatly though we have every hope that that would be true. >> i know your foundation takes

veterans back to the sites of various battles and gives them a chance to pay homage to those who were lost and to their own service and their own memories and you say in part one of the reasons you do it is to confirm it was not a dream. what does that mean? >> it means that it is an example as many others i think would feel the same way. i was 18 years old when i landed in combat on okinawa. 56 days aboard a troop ship after a lot of training being out in the harbor of okinawa with suicide planes coming down, landing on the beach. 18 years old, i didn't know what was going to happen. i knew i was well trained as a marine. after having completed the battle of okinawa capri pairi-- preparing to invade japan having the happy world change with the

dropping of the atomic bomb which almost made all of the troops go berserk because it said to us we are going to live. we did not expect to survive. and all of that was a part of the activities and the hearts and minds of the people who were there. we were young, we were inexperienced, each one of us who landed on a beach did not know the reality of war and we learned about it, but we went in there willing to die, not wanting to die, but totally convinced that we were right and we still believe it today. so when we go back, we see the rocky would he jim ma, we see okinawa. we say to ourselves it really happened 70 years ago it was a dream. >> i know that now you love to ride harleys, your wife gave you a second harley for your 72nd birthday and 80th birthday you made the longest motorcycle trip

yet. here is to many more years, sir. thank you again for your service and for sharing the memories. >> thank you. >> on the 40th anniversary of d-day president reagan gave a tribute to the greatest sacrifice of the greatest generation. coming up, the women who helped him write that speech joins us live. a former world war ii veteran talks to me about his experience as a prisoner of war and his message to today's young people. >> what does it mean to you? >> what it means, it means that my life was worth it. i didn't waste my life. i served my country. most important thing is to serve my country. at the lexus december to remember sales event. some of the best offers of the year. this is the pursuit of perfection. yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews.

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well, the world war ii >> the world war ii memorial in washington, d.c. opened in 2004 and was a top visit. >> you were a prisoner of war? >> yes. >> how did you get out? >> well, we came under fire. my guards ran and i ran the other way and i lucked out. they came back lacking for me, maybe they think i am dead. they didn't come back so then i

found my weapons i ran into the germans and i captured them. you got to be young to do that. >> all of these decades later you remember it well? >> like it happened yesterday. some things you never forget. like it was right in front of me. it's like it's alive and it's always there. >> what does it mean fou? >> it means my life was worth it. i didn't waste my life. served my country. most important thing is to serve my country. i did that. i am grateful for the opportunity to serve. >> what would it be like to live in a country at a time when they were so united? >> i can write you a book about

that. we were all one and weigh wanted to learn. we were eeing ger eager to lea and apply the knowledge. now days i notice some people aren't that willing to learn from the older generation. it is a generational thing. we didn't have this smart ass attitude. we were willing to learn and we learned. we had respect for our parents and we obeyed. when mother called me i came or else. >> when you see for example the stars on this freedom wall each one meant to represent 100 deaths in world war ii. for you those were actual friends. they were buddies. do you remember those guys? is>> i have their pictures. of course i remember them. >> i have written a legacy for my grandchildren and there are all of these people are in

there. the pictures the names and everything. they were with me and i will never forget them. these are the heros you see. the heros are the ones we couldn't bring back. the heros are the ones who are in wheelchairs now. the rest are kusurvivors. i am i am not a hero i am a survivor. you are 89 years old many years from now when it is your turn to go what do you want people to say about you? >> he served his country. that's all. >> thank you so much, sir. pleasure. >> thank you for your service. >> thank you. >> god bless you. see you next time. >> irish row nouns yags of megyn. wasn't an accident he went that way. >> witness to war. a foundation that documents and records first hand stories from

combat veterans. we can see why you have chosen to do that. just meeting folks like the major makes you realize and lament the fact that there will come a time in the not too distance future where we are unable to talk to these guys one-on-one. >> absolutely. we are losing our veterans. >> somebody who is immersed themselves doing this full-time what do you take away from that? it is like a film service like a movie to think back on what happened. both talked about want ing to b remembered for their sacrifice and their life was worth something. >> one of the things i want to share is there are younger

people who care. our futuew mission is to make s the people don't forget. they can hear the stories. >> you want them to learn not only about the sacrifice but the attitude they had you didn't he -- you heard him say we didn't have a smart ass attitude back in our day. there was a wish we could somehow return to a nation that respects its elders and is perhaps more humble in the approach of life and those who came before them. >> some of the things i have enjoyed about meeting these

veterans, and we have interviewed over 1,000 most were world war ii. there was respect and humility and out of the thousand gentlemen i have interviewed men and women yes they weren't arrogant they are consistently humble and appreciative they had that experience. most wouldn't want to remeet it but they were glad they were able to do their duty. >> that describes the men and women in the military in general. how are you preserving the stories and how will people be able to access them? >> we perform video interviews with world war ii vietnam vets and recently iraq and afghanistan vets. our sense of urgency is around world war ii and korea. we have them in hd and broadcast video. we give them to the families. we have them into 2-5 minute war stories they are more consumable

to media savvy generation. witness to war.org. we have 3 or 4,000 video war stories detailing the heroics and humorous events and everything else that occurred over a good kwli war. >> thanks for doing it. >> thank you for having me on. it is an honor to preserve their memories. >> we will travel to the memorial dedicated to them and see what a simple trip can mean so much to the ones who sacrificed. >> excellent. the crew did a fantastic job. the whole experience was great. with gyroflex 3d technology, you can get to those hard to reach places for the ultimate shave wet or dry. guaranteed. visit philips.com/upgrade now to save $30.

16 million american men and women who served in w >> today one out of every four americans over the age 75 is a veteran. many are here today. they are surrounded by 56 beautiful granite columns made to symbolize the 48 states at the time and 7 u.s. tir tories and the district of columbia which has a showing of war time unit. that memorial was dedicated in 2004 many veterans were too ill too old or too poor to see it. a man in ohio who worked with aging veterans decided to do something about that. he asked one of his patients if it would be all right if he flew him to dc to see the memorial. that man cried and went to see the memorial.

honor flight group provide free travel for veterans to see their memorial. our camera crews were in dc when an honor flight arrived with a group of veterans on board. watch. >> i was here back in 44 and it is great to be home. >> i wasn't for it i have seen everything but the memorial. now that i am here i can't say enough about it. tears in my eyes. >> i have wanted to see this memorial and i am pleased with it. >> it was great. very primed with it. >> i met a lot of good people. made a lot of friends. they are dying. every time i get a news letter it's full of people that have left us. >> i am very fortunate. i am 91 years old.

>> i am one of the will you cany ones i made it home. flk r>> i think the worst time i had was when we got attacked by german u-boats i was only 10 6. i was scared a little bit. >> had one veteran in there. it's a number. every one is unknown. we are awere all young. today we are all old. we appreciate everything that has gone on. look forward to a prieter world today. >> the goal is to make sure every single veteran from world war ii or korean war or vietnam

gets to travel to washington to see their memorial. they opened 100,000 vets do just that. >> mary louise kelly is a thursday who helped care for the severe ry injured soldiers from the bloodiest battles of world war ii. she will share the story of how that experience reshaped her life. when it comes to paying tribute to our veterans few have done it as poignantly or beautifully as president ronald reagan on the 40th anniversary of d-day. his incredible speech. the one-on-one with the woman who worked with him on it juries ahead. peggy knew nan will share her memories on the day president reagan delivered one of his most famous speeches. >> behind me is a memorial that si symbol i'ds the gagge daggers thrusted to the top of the cliffs and before me are the men who put them there.

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>> june 6th, 1984. it was 40 years after the invasion of the normandy. to commemorate that day and those men president ronald reagan went to here's a portion of the address considered by some to be the great speeches on r in modern history. >> here at normandy a giant under taking unparalleled in human history. their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasions to clooifsh these

sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. they were told some of the mightiest were here and would be trained to stop the allied advance. these are the boys of pwenthome. these are the men who took the cliffs and these are the champions to helped end the war. you were young the day you took these cliffs, some of you were hardly more than boys with the deepest joys of life before you yet you risked everything here. why? why did you do it? well, what i am pelled you to put aside the instinct or self preservation to risk your lives

and take these cliffs? what inspired all of the men of the armies that het mere. we look at you and somehow we know the answer. it was faith and believe, it was loyalty and love. the men at normandy had faith in what they were doing was right, faith they fought for all humanity faith that a just god would grant mercy p on the beach hit or on the next. it was the deep knowledge and pray god we have not lost it. there is a profound moral difference between the u.s. of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. you were here to liberate not to conquer. so you and those others did not doubt your cause and you were right not to doubt. you all knew that some things are worth dying for. one's country is worth dying for and democracy is worth dying for because it is the most deeply

honorable form of government ever devised by man. all of you loved liberty and were willing to fight tyranny and the people were behind you. here in this place where the west held together let us make a bow to our dead let us show by our actions we understand what they died for let our actions show i will not fail thee nor forsake thee. strengthened by their courage by their values and born by their memories let us stand for the ideals for which they lived and died. thank you very much. god bless you all. (applause)

>> peg knee knew nan served as special assistance to ronald reagan. they, woulded on the speech together. peggy, brat to see you. you still get chills when you listen to that. the way he brought those very men sitting before him to tears. he says later about it that they looked like elderly businessmen sitting there that day yet these are the kids who climbed the cliff. this is one of the first times a president in modern history stopped the tribute amazingly to what we now know as the greatest generation. >> president reagan was very eager to celebrate the old fellows who had been young boys 40 years before who had taken those cliffs who were members of the u.s. army angers. he wanted very much to sort of get his hands around and lift up

a generation that until that point had not been completely specifically celebrated as a wonderful generation who paut in world war ii 16 million of them served in the u.s. armed forces of world war 23 who also got to the depression before that. that was some of the vibration behind this speech. >> it was in the late 70's at a time when treatment of veterans coming back from vietnam. the vietnam conflict itself was heated and controversial. he wanted to send a message about our military and veterans. absolutely. it took place 10 years before in 1974 the vietnam ended and the members of the u.s. military

were not had not gotten their due in the united states for almost a generation, reagan was determined to puturn that aroun. he had great respect for those who fought in vietnam. he was governor when the u.s. prisoners of war from saigon and elsewhere were freed. he welcomed them and had them over to the 2k3w06r7b another's mansion. he was key on getting greater appreciation for the u.s. military and the u.s. people. >> he is also known for being clever because at the time it was 1984 we were in the middle of the cold war. it was a speech within a speech. >> the text of the speech the sensible thing that was being

said was look civilized nation of the west look what you did 40 years ago when you held together joined together you defeated a terrible sityranny called hitles germany. >> he was saying to the leaders to the west who were there that day look what your kiparents an grandparents did. we are going to defeat together the tyranny of our kind that is soviet communists. the world war ii generation they were trying to inspire those who now had to hold together the berlin wall had not fallen to push that wall over. so he very consciously i think iced that speech to say look what we did last time we can still do it. >> the words are beautiful when you speak him you helped with the wording. did he ever come back and say i

nailed that one. >> ronald reagan was funny. p you can think having been in show business or politics a long time he nailed it i own that room. stuff like that. he never did. not that i ever saw. reagan was amazingly modest. he had a lot of humility. he didn't brag about his ability to get people. when people listened to him they felt as he did, they felt that was because he felt like they did. he felt there was a kind of communion going on. he didn't brag. he was a fellow who had an e-- didn't have an ego. president reagan may have brought the greatest generation to tears but take a look at some of the events from that incredible era say they are more

concerned about what troops are facing today in our special "saluting the greatest generation." >> there are hidden treasures through out the memorial to handwritten rotes people receive from loved ones to a guy named kill roy a picture of a man looking over a wall that says kill roy went here. people are supposed to find them themselves as they come to visit here. it was an inside joke among our service personnel. they drew them first in the atlantic then in the pacific. named after a german super spy who could go anywhere he wanted. here we see him on the backside of the memorial. care open enrol. time to compare plans and costs. you don't have to make changes. buit never hurts to see if u can find bettoverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care la

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here you can see two 43-foot pavilions, one for the atlantic, >> you can see on opposite sides of what they call the rainbow pool in honor of the 400,000 troops american troops who died in world war ii. despite the loss of life many from america's greatest generation rook back on their service as something special who helped shape their lives. some of the same vets are more concerned about today's and what they may be much worse off.

>> the young kids that are in there have got it very, very bad. the war is hell. >> am it is something you lear . you profit interest from it. experience life, be a better perso person. >> i recently had a chance to speak with one of the combat veterans. >> what about that. you have been deployed three

times since 9-11. do you look back at it hate it or love it? >> talalways a mixed feeling. there is always a purpose with the mission you have the country you are defending a difficult past complex situation that you -- you know what, you look back on the good stuff. i conditicur with what that wor war ii vet says. >> how about the first vets veteran he worries your generation has it rough? >> i look at the world war ii generation they look at me and tell me i had it rough. here's a guy who deployed against the biggest baddest military ever seen.

they defeat hitler's army. we did one year tour. you didn't do a one-year tour in world war ii. you were in until you were wounded or captured. it's a different dynamic. it is not to take away the tours today. you were in for the duration unless something happens. >> you were far away without the ability at all to communicate with the loved ones back in the day. >> difficult for the service member and the family. you can go to iraq organ stan and skype and call back to my family. my grandmothfather who was in w war ii was in germany for two months before she heard from him. they were married two months before that. the time, the patience, the uncertainty that goes with it is a whole different level. it cuts both ways when you are not talking to folks back home it is easier to be detached and more focused on what you are

doing. that is difficult. i don't want to be deployed under those circumstances. >> do you feel we are losing something not disrespect but love for our military. >> all of the states everybody was behind a mission at that point. it was unclear what we needed to do. today we are so divided that carried over a bit to vietnam. >> there's a reverence around that world war ii generation. used to sit onson i joined in the curb and watch the memorial day parade or veteran's parade. it was the world war ii vets that got the stand wiing ovatio. they saved the world so proud of what they did. we unfortunately unlearned a lot of those lessons in vietnam but relearned them in our

generation. y these are the guys that save the world. they lost 400,000 weless almost 4,000 in our generation. think of the scale and hope 400,000 families and communities who gave so much? >> you went after 9-11 over 3,000 americans killed on u.s. and domestic soil. it is very similar in many ways to what we saw in world war ii. with respect to iraq and afghanistan veterans it seems like there has been a turn since what we saw after vietnam. there was a story p recently on a happy note about a bunch of guys marines coming back from afghanistan. not only were there some sort of makeshift tributes performed for them on the roof because they had a stop over but all of the passengers on the first class fight gave up all of the seats.

>> i get chills just hearing that. that to me is an example of citizens who get it who understand who say hey this is something these guys deserve. i try to do the same thing. i have a 3 and 1-year-old boy. every time i see a world war ii veteran i try to get next to them to take a photo. i want them to touch that and understand that piece of history how significant it was. i have taken world war ii photos i get. >> you see a world war ii vet or younger vet pay it forward. pay it forward. >> up next. the war from a different perspective as we talk with one of the hundreds of thousands of women twho helped in the fight for our country's freedom. >> war casualty lists are growing. more doctors and nurses are drawn from our home front. to meet them in the under staffed hospitals red cross is training patriotic volunteers as nurse's aids. more nurse's aids are needed in

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over >> they served noncombat war from pilots to postal workers and nurses. one was mary louise kelly. >> she was a nurse for five years outside of london, though she took care of a lot of soldiers got them back home safe. >> they cried. (indiscernible).

>> there were so many casualties they didn't know when day turned into night. i don't think people realized they did go through military training and she was a professional nurse. >> she is a young 96 years old. >> all right. >> people recognize that the years that she spent in the war taking care of all of the troops. >> we would love to share your stories with the viewers when you are a world war ii vet. more on that after the break. ick with innovation.

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the pain started up and wrapped around to the front. i couldn't play my bassoon because of the pressure that i felt throughout my whole head. the blistering and the rash was moving down towards my eye. the doctors at the emergencroom recommended that i have it checked out by an eye doctor. there was concern about my eyesight. when i had shingles the music stopped.

>> our special a salute to the greatest generation. if you have a story or pictures you would like to share from the war go to facebook.com/the hill

l k -- facebook.com/the kelly file. this is "the kelly file." thank you for watching. >> look at this place. a big public park. it's a big space where any one can come. no one person owns it. every one shares it. it feels good just like the children's song makes you feel good about sharing. >> sharing, sharing, it can be fun. >> when i ask, what's better public or private? >> most people say, public. >> i would say they would charge you for looking. >> public wouldn't you say or we wouldn't be here right now. >> super markets are privat